Sleep and Weight Loss – A Journey to Good Health

The COVID-19 pandemic had its fair share of ill-effects and good-effects on our lives. The ill-effects included contracting the disease itself, overworking, overeating and a lack of sleep. The good effects included reduced incidents of eating out, focusing on fitness and starting hobbies that we might have given up in the last decade or more.

Sleep and weight loss—the connection

For most of us, weight loss is mostly associated with a drastic change in diet or exercise regimens. Sleep has been the last thing that we could think of that would help us lose weight. Funnily, sleep has the biggest impact on our daily lives, including managing our weight and our metabolism.’

Making better eating decisions—curb the cravings

Sleeping well throughout the night helps us take better decisions. As we are well-rested, we tend to make fewer impulsive decisions, including binge eating or gorging on junk food. In short, this is somewhat like being drunk—you need to have a clear head to make good decisions.

The lack of sleep causes us to feel tired. A natural reaction when we’re tired is to look for something that feels good. Comfort foods and junk food can be the biggest trigger here, making us indulge more than we should—which includes going for that second slice of cake or cravings for sweets, making it the perfect recipe for obesity.

Late-night snacking—a major cause of weight loss

Another aspect of sleep deprivation that is often overlooked is late-night snacking. As we do not sleep well or stay up through the night, we disrupt our circadian rhythm and tend to choose high-carb snacks for that instant energy boost. According to a study by the University of Chicago, subjects who were sleep-deprived tended to choose the fattiest, sodium-rich, oily snacks compared to those who slept for at least 8 hours.

Problems processing insulin

Additionally, not sleeping enough prompts us to skip certain meals, causing portions of the remaining meals to be larger and richer, making us gain more weight in the process. To put things into perspective the capability of our body to process insulin drops by nearly 30% if we do not sleep enough for a week.

Reduced physical activity

Poor sleep means that we will stay tired all day, hampering our motivation to hit the gym or exercise. This alone is a major contributor to weight gain as reduced physical activity due to a lack of sleep also decreases protein synthesis – directly impacting muscle gain and leading to a higher incidence of injuries.

Could sleep apnea be the culprit?

It very well could. In most cases, people are unaware that they suffer from a lack of sleep. If waking up tired every morning has become a habit, you might want to undergo a sleep study. Sleep specialists at Sanrai can help you diagnose and provide effective solutions for sleep apnea before it adversely affects your health.

How will a sleep study help me?

A sleep study can determine if you require a CPAP machine. CPAP machines help you to sleep better every night, giving your body the life-giving oxygen it needs. Sleeping better will also help you eat better and lead a healthier, happier life.

Innovative global medical product manufacturers such as Sanrai can help you get access to quality products, timely service, and a world-class support system that is there for you when you need it the most.